1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved laundry bag that can be used during washing and drying cycles. More specifically, the invention relates to a laundry bag that provides additional bag volume for expansion of wet clothing during the drying cycle and contains a sliding element for opening and closing the bag.
2. The Prior Art
Generally, laundry bags have been used to store soiled or dirty clothing until it is washed. A laundry bag is helpful for carrying clothing to the machine. Once ready for washing, the user would remove the clothing from the bag and place the clothing into the washing machine and then the dryer. However, the loss of articles during washing has created a need for a washable laundry bag. To alleviate this problem, there are laundry bags that store dirty laundry and can be washed therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,514 to Orensten discloses a spherical laundry bag that can be used during the washing cycle. This bag contains a closure that allows the bag to maintain its spherical shape without interfering with the interior volume.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,967 to Tsuyoshi et al. shows a laundry net in the form of an octahedron. This construction permits water to uniformly flow through the bag, irrespective of its position with respect to the flow of water.
The disadvantage of these laundry bags is that the clothing inside the bag is not properly cleaned or dried. This is due to the lack of excess space within the bag for the clothing to expand during the drying cycle. The above-mentioned references do not provide adequate additional space for this expansion, and therefore, clothing will be wrinkled due to the inadequate excess volume within the laundry bag. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/502,929 to Guerra discloses an improvement on the abovementioned bags, and is hereby incorporated by reference.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a laundry bag with sufficient excess volume to allow for the expansion of laundry during the drying cycle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a laundry bag that hangs in such a way as to permit only a designated portion of the bag to be filled with clothing.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a laundry bag that maintains its open position while placing dirty clothing therein and further comprises a sliding device for opening and closing the bag.
These and other objects are accomplished by a laundry bag comprising an open end and a closed end. The laundry bag is preferably egg shaped and made from a perforated mesh material. This mesh material is similar to that of the lining of men""s swimming trunks. The material is durable and light weight. It also dries quickly and therefore does not add any appreciable time to the drying cycle. The laundry bag is constructed with an excess of material having many pleats and gathers so that it readily expands when clothing is added.
A loop and drawstring are attached to the laundry bag. The loop and drawstring are each made of a material that can withstand the force from the loaded hanging laundry bag. They are preferably made of a polyester fiber cord.
There is a drawstring located adjacent to the open end and it is moveably coupled to the open end. The second loop is located adjacent to the closed end. A hand can slip through the loop and drawstring which act as handles for transporting the laundry bag.
The drawstring contains a sliding device for opening and closing the laundry bag. This sliding device consists of at least one tubular element disposed around the drawstring. A piece of material is placed over the tubular elements for ease in grasping the sliding device and to support the bag.
To assure that the proper amount of clothing is placed inside the bag, the laundry bag hangs from a supporting structure, by the provided loop and drawstring, in a folded manner. Folding the bag creates a front first compartment and a rear second compartment. The front compartment receives laundry through the open end. This front compartment has a laundry receiving volume of about 15% to 45% of the total bag volume, so that the washed clothing can expand into the remaining bag volume during the drying cycle.